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Community Information Session Army Aviation Centre Oakey (AACO) – Environmental Investigation
August 2015 Session #5
AACO Environmental Investigation
• emergency exits/ bathrooms
• tonight’s meeting: 6pm – 7.30pm
• this session will cover:
– what’s been done to-date
– long-term strategy
– the next 12 months
– question and answer session
• project team introductions
Welcome
Background
August 2015 Session #5
Background
• Defence periodically assesses groundwater on its bases, including Oakey
• in 2010, sampling results showed evidence of PFOS and PFOA in the groundwater beneath the AACO
• further assessments indicated the impact had travelled beyond the AACO
– this was informed by targeted off-base sampling in early 2013 and wider scale sampling undertaken in 2014 and 2015.
The purpose of the Army Aviation Centre Oakey (AACO) Environmental
Investigation is to understand impacts on the environment from past use
of fire-fighting foams in training activities
AACO Environmental Investigation
AACO Environmental Investigation
Background • fire-fighting training activities have occurred
at the Army Aviation Centre Oakey (AACO)
for decades
• Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) is used
to extinguish Class B fires (flammable liquid
and gas fires)
• Historical AFFF products contained Polyfluoroalkyl
substances (PFAS) including:
– Perfluorooctanoate Sulfonic Acid (PFOS)
– Perfluorooctanic Acid (PFOA)
• in 2008, Defence implemented a policy to
restrict use of AFFF with PFOS/ PFOA
• Defence only discharges AFFF products
during emergencies or incidents, and not in
training activities.
AACO Environmental Investigation
• PFOS and PFOA are:
– two of the many types of per- and polyfluorinated
chemicals (PFCs)
– PFCs are fluorosurfactants or per and poly-
fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
– used for many years in a wide variety of common
household and industrial products
– present at trace concentrations throughout the
environment and in most homes
About PFOS and PFOA
AACO Environmental Investigation
PFOA &
PFOS
Cleaning products
Fire fighting foams
Carpets
Clothing Paper and packaging
Paints
Non-stick metal
cookware
• PFCs, such as PFOS and PFOA, have been used to make coatings and products that resist:
– heat
– oil
– stains
– grease
– water
• most people living in developed areas are likely to have background levels in blood
About PFOS and PFOA
The investigation to date
August 2015 Session #5
• sampling and testing local water
bores to the west and south-west
of the base (112 bores)
• sampling and testing surface water
and sediment within select
drainage lines (43 locations) and
Oakey Creek (13 locations)
• community water use survey (120
responses)
• on-the-ground and desktop
research
• engaging with State and
Commonwealth government
agencies and regulators
Late-2013 to mid-2015
AACO Environmental Investigation
Image: Example of a water bore
• As a precaution, it has been recommended that residents within the Investigation Area not drink the bore water
• assisting residents access to an alternative water supply on a case by case basis
• development of long-term management strategies
• altering water use on AACO to minimise contamination recharge
Late-2013 to mid-2015
AACO Environmental Investigation
Image: Sediment sampling
• Australia has no guidelines for assessing PFOS and PFOA
concentrations in human drinking water
• Defence is using Provisional Health Advisory (PHA) values
developed in 2009 by the Office of Water, a division of the US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• the PHA values represent a concentration above which action
should be taken to reduce exposure to PFOS and PFOA in
drinking water
• the PHA value for PFOS is 0.2 µg/L (micrograms per litre) and
PFOA is 0.4 µg/L
• the following maps show the project Investigation and Detection
Areas, and bore water test results (to May 2015), as compared
to the PHA values for human drinking water.
Drinking water screening levels
AACO Environmental Investigation
AACO Environmental Investigation
Investigation & Detection Areas
PFOS PFOA
Draft Draft
• the Australian Government National Health and Medical
Research Council (NHMRC) and World Health Organisation
(WHO) have produced guidance for applying drinking water
guidelines to assess concentrations for primary contact
recreation activities (e.g. swimming)
• the NHMRC and WHO guidance suggest that applying a factor of
10 to drinking water assessment criteria accounts for the reduced
exposure by oral ingestion of water during swimming
• this guidance does not relate to exposure from dermal contact
(e.g. exposure through skin when swimming)
• when applying this guidance to the PHA drinking water values, a
concentration of 2.00μg/L is set for PFOS and 4.00μg/L is set for
PFOA for recreational waters.
Recreational water screening levels
AACO Environmental Investigation
Soil/Sediment screening levels
AACO Environmental Investigation
• Australia has no guidelines for assessing PFOS and
PFOA in soil or sediment
• Defence is using residential soil screening levels
developed in 2009 by US EPA for assessment of
direct contact with dry sediment (i.e. as soil).
• The USEPA Region 4 residential soil screening level
for PFOS is 6 mg/kg (milligrams per kilogram) and
PFOA is 16 mg/kg.
Water and sediment sampling to date
AACO Environmental Investigation
• Groundwater
– 112 bores tested
– PFCs > drinking water screening levels in 42 bores
• creek sampling/ results
– 13 Oakey Creek sample locations
– PFCs > recreational water screening levels at 1
location
• drainage line sampling/ results
– 43 sediment sample locations
– PFCs detected at 39 locations, all < human health
screening levels for direct soil contact
• reports available on project website.
• Defence has been looking ahead and developing a
plan for the Investigation
• the aim is to prioritise and schedule the short-to-
medium term actions from 2014 to 2018
• it includes broad timeframes for anticipated site
investigations and technical assessments required to
understand the extent of the contamination, its
potential impacts and how impacts will be managed.
Planning ahead
AACO Environmental Investigation
Looking ahead
current – late 2015
2015 – mid 2016
mid 2015 – 2018
post-2018
AACO Environmental Investigation
Discovery and Immediate Risk Response
1. Understanding the contamination and potential impacts
2. Assessing the contamination and its potential risks
3. Managing the contamination
4. Longer-term actions
Ongoing consultation with
relevant government
agencies and regulators, and stakeholders
2013 – current
The next 12 months mid 2015 – mid 2016
August 2015 Session #5
Hydrogeological assessment
Management options
assessment
Human health and ecological
risk assessment
Key activities (mid 2015 – mid 2016)
Ongoing water assistance and regular community updates
AACO Environmental Investigation
Liaising with relevant
government agencies and
regulators
AACO Environmental Investigation
• started July 2015
• this involves:
– periodic sampling and testing
of ground and surface water
– targeted soil sampling
– installing new groundwater
monitoring wells at key
locations
– hydrogeological assessment
and modelling.
Hydrogeological assessment
Hydrogeology is about
how groundwater is
distributed and moves
through the soil and rocks
of the Earth's crust,
particularly in aquifers
AACO Environmental Investigation
• Defence will install new monitoring
wells at the AACO base and
surrounding areas
• ten wells at five locations off-site
(additional wells to be installed on
AACO)
• all on Government-owned land,
mainly roadside easements
• drilling rigs will be used to drill the
wells to the required depth.
Hydrogeological assessment
Image: Drilling rig
• published guidelines are not available for all of the possible exposure pathways identified for human health and the environment at Oakey
• a risk assessment to obtain more detail about potential for risks to human health and ecology has been commissioned
• selected flora and fauna will be tested to inform the risk assessment
• guidance sought from State government departments to determine relevant screening criteria.
Human health and ecological risk assessment
AACO Environmental Investigation
• testing animals and crops that are part of the human
food chain, as well as some that are not
• specific plant and animal species yet to be
determined
• undertaken based on the technical requirements of
the investigation
Human health and ecological risk assessment
AACO Environmental Investigation
• Defence is considering a wide range of options for
managing contamination sources
• ongoing liaison with industry and regulatory
professionals around the globe
• evaluation of identified management options will be
informed by outcomes of future activities
Management options assessment
AACO Environmental Investigation
Community enquiries
August 2015 Session #5
Community enquiries
Bore water testing
General project information
Water use and supply/ general water solution
Test results
Human health concerns
Concerns about exposure through skin contact
Concerns about exposure through drinking
• Enquiry channels • Most frequent enquiry topics
161 project
hotline calls
2 letters 52
emails
AACO Environmental Investigation
• Defence funding was approved for limited blood testing of up to 100
samples
• the testing is focused on a sample group of Oakey residents who
have drunk bore water on a regular basis over the last 3 years
• to be eligible for blood testing, residents also need to have lived
within the contamination detection area and had bores tested that
indicate elevated levels of PFOS and/or PFOA
• no test results will be issued until testing is completed for all
participants
• results will be sent directly from the pathologist to participants as
soon as possible after all testing is completed
Defence blood testing activity
AACO Environmental Investigation
• there has not been extensive research completed in Australia
and/or overseas
• a conclusive link has not been established between exposure to
these chemicals and specific health effects
Human health
AACO Environmental Investigation
• Defence is not able to provide legal advice about:
– property values
– individual legal representation
– the terms of engagement offered by legal representatives
• landholders should seek their own independent legal advice
from relevant industry professionals
• individual community members seeking to represent their own
interests, in respect of any potential claim, should direct their
claim to the Office of Defence Special Counsel at
• claims should include supporting information demonstrating the
nature, extent and quantification of any alleged loss or damage.
Legal considerations
AACO Environmental Investigation
Questions?
August 2015 Session #5
Thank you Contact us Phone: 1800 136 129 free call (Monday
to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm)
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.defence.gov.au/id/oakey
Mail: AACO Environmental Investigation
Project
C/O AECOM Pty Ltd
PO Box 1307
Fortitude Valley Qld 4006
Office of Defence Special Counsel